HB 686 North Carolina House · 2025-2026 Session

Safe Cosmetics Act.

HB 686, the Safe Cosmetics Act, prohibits the sale or distribution of cosmetic products in North Carolina containing specific restricted substances - such as PFAS, heavy metals, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, and asbestos - as intentionally added chemicals, nonfunctional by-products, or nonfunctional contaminants above measurable limits. The bill defines "practical quantification limit" as the lowest reliably measurable concentration and requires manufacturers to provide a compliance certificate if the Board of Agriculture suspects violations. It directly affects cosmetic manufacturers and retailers selling products in North Carolina, mandating adherence to these chemical restrictions starting January 1, 2026. The law aims to reduce consumer exposure to chemicals linked to health concerns by banning them in cosmetics above specified thresholds.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Apr 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Apr 1, 2025 Last action Apr 3, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Filed → Edition 1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered and refiled with updated sponsor information and a new version identifier. The core definitions of restricted substances and nonfunctional contaminants remain substantively unchanged, though line numbering was reset. No new policy requirements, funding, or eligibility criteria were added or removed.

TECHNICAL

Bill title, filing date, and version identifier were updated to reflect re-filing as Edition 1 with new sponsor attribution.

Additional sponsors (Ball, Harrison, and von Haefen) were added to the primary sponsor list.

Original bill number DRH40389-NM-29 was replaced with new version identifier H686-v-1.

Line numbering was reset and reorganized, with some definition text reordered but substantively identical.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 3, 2025

Committee

Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

lower

Apr 1, 2025

Introduced

Filed

lower

3 primary · 15 co-sponsors